Letter to Block 3

Block 3,
   We've had a pretty interesting year in English. It was a little rough at the beginning, but I think we've grown closer as a group from it. Our class had some trouble starting off, but that's just because we are a very sociable group!! As we got use to Dr. D's class, we calmed down a bit which made it easier to learn. I enjoyed being in a class where people enjoyed talking about the subject and learning together. In some other classes, everyone is just silent and the teacher gives a lecture the entire class. English is different because we actually get to be a part of class, not just listen to it. I also like how if one person in the class understands something, they help others too. We all just share what we understand and learn together as a class.
   Before this year, I've never had an English class that I enjoyed being in. We learn and still have fun with each other. I think our class has grown to be more enthusiastic (mostly when we reenact Macbeth) and it's always entertaining. It's going to be weird not being in English class with yall, but I think we've been well prepared for sophomore year.

Participation Evaluation

   My participation in the 4th quarter has gotten a little bit better. I speak more in class conversations and volunteer, but my only problem is side conversations. I'm usually prepared and rarely have to go out of the room to get anything. I've forgotten my outside reading book once or twice, but that's all. I usually wait to be dismissed before I pack up, but I've packed up early for lunch before. I rarely leave the room to go to the bathroom, go to my locker, or get water. I check my email and the ehs website at least once a day if not more. I think I email appropriately and formally, but I may forget to enter in a subject from time to time.  I turn in everything on time and I try to stay consistent in that. My attitude has gotten better in class since the beginning of the year.
    I try to listen to Dr. D, but I get distracted at times. I always take notes in class and I try to contribute relevant comments into the conversation. I never ask irrelevant questions that have nothing to do with what we're talking about because that would mean I wasn't thinking about the topic at hand. If someone is talking I try to listen and think of a response. My biggest  problem is side conversation and that's why I've tried not to sit by someone that I know I will talk to and will get in trouble with. I've been trying to sit by people who will stay on track, but it is still difficult.
   I think I do better in individual work because I focus more and get my work done faster. Although, I do enjoy working with other friends because they make the experience more enjoyable. When I do work in a group, I try not to distract people and stay focused, but again, it is not easy. In the end, we usually get the work done and still have fun with it.
   I think my participation in the 4th quarter has gotten better because I've gotten use to the class and the people so I talk more. Since we've been acting out scenes in Macbeth, I've volunteered multiple times and try to stay in the discussion. For next year, I will try not to get involved in side-conversation and stayed focused in class.

Outside Reading 2011-2012

   At the beginning of this year, I wasn't too excited about having to read 150+ minutes weekly, but it's not so bad as I thought it would be and taught me a bit about myself. I've become used to the weekly reading and slowly I started to like it more and more. Throughout the year, I got to explore all sorts of different genres and see which ones I preferred. I read mystery, autobiography, and romance! I enjoyed all of the books and plan to read more of them. I'm already planning to read the other Ellen Degeneres books and the Hunger Games series in the future.
  The outside reading also helped me develop my reading comprehension skills. Now, I can pick out details in a book that couldn't have without learning how to annotate. It comes easier now that I've done it for a while. I think I've become a more encouraged reader and I have a good idea of which books I'm interested in.
Outside Reading
Macbeth- 30 min
Biology textbook- 2 hours
 

From Macbeth's view...

   I'm still in shock from what happened. The Thane of Cawdor has been sentenced to death after being called a traitor and the King has now given me the position! Then three weird women told me that I was to be king!! Maybe it's just because I came back from a bloody war or just my wild imagination. I told my wife, Lady Macbeth, about the witches and their prophecy and she started to frighten me with her plan to fulfill the scheme. She kept telling me that I had to murder the king and anyone else who stood in the way. Of course, I never wanted to kill anyone, but she kept questioning my desire to be king and my manliness which bothered me a whole lot. I always wanted to be king, but not this way. But I did it. I killed Duncan and now I'm one step closer the being crowned king.
   After all of this, the guilt has been slowly growing inside of me and my wife has been trying to calm me down while still seeming very crazy to me. I feel like sometimes she wants to be queen more than I want to be king. After all, Duncan was a kind friend to me, but it's too late...Now that the plan has started, it can't be stopped. I will soon be king.

Writing Reflection for English l

English has always been a more difficult subject for me as a student. I’ve never been a great writer overall and I find writing stressful sometimes. It is difficult to for me to get an idea that is in my head into words and down on paper. I knew that freshmen year in English would be a huge jump from my middle school English experience. The amount of writing would be increased and graded harder. I was definitely correct, but I soon found out that the challenge wasn’t such a bad thing. 

This year in English class, we have written a variety of types of papers. These include Profiles, Literacy Narratives, Research Papers, and Literary Analyses. These genres of papers were newly introduced to us and we found that some were easier than others. For me, the Literacy Narrative and the Profile were not difficult to write. I find it is easier to write about past experiences and people because I know them so well and they are interesting to me. The more interested I am in the topic I am writing on, the better I do. I enjoyed writing those papers. The only difficulty in these two essays was Voice. Since I had a personal connection to the topics, I was sometimes less formal than I should have been. I used exclamations and got some points taken off. I’ve learned from that and I only use appropriate punctuation and I’ve made my writing more formal.  

On the other hand, I had some trouble writing the Research and Literary Analysis Paper. They were the first papers that we had ever had to make theses for. It was challenging to try to think of a thesis and ideas to support it. That’s where I got lost most points. Out of all the Traits of Good Writing, Ideas was the most difficult category for me. The Literary Analysis wasn’t as challenging as the Research Paper because I understood the short story, but I had to learn about a subject that I didn’t know too much about for my Research Paper. It was hard to support a thesis about a topic that was new to me.

Citing our sources was troubling because we have never learned before. There were a certain number of ways you could cite sources and they had to be done a certain way. It was tricky for me because I had to remember to put my punctuation after the citation if it’s in the body of my paper. The Works Cited at the end of our papers weren’t as difficult because we had noodle tools to help us. Now, thanks to Dr. D and a lot of comments about citing, I know how to cite my sources correctly.

When I looked back at all of my papers, I found out strengths and weaknesses in my writing. My strengths were mostly in Organization, Word Choice, and Mechanics. I believe that was why the Profile and Literacy Narrative where easy to write. I organized them like a story and chose words that described them in a way that the reader could understand. But my weaknesses were more important to look at and develop. I saw that my weaknesses are in my Ideas, Support, and Sentence Structure. Ideas are very important in writing and I’ve been trying to improve that. I read in my comments about how I repeat my ideas and support that I’ve already shown and so I definitely have to work on that. As a read my papers and comments again, I saw that my sentences don’t flow very well and sometimes paragraphs don’t transition as well as they should. These traits are crucial for me to improve to become a better writer.

             Along with some of the broader categories of writing, I also have to work on some specifics of writing as I mention in my Common Errors List. I saw that I repeat a lot of words that begin sentences such as “There”, “This”, and “These”. I need to find other words to use so I don’t become repetitive. I also use the words “very” and “really” a lot to stress something, but I need to find better adjectives that are more descriptive and less informal. The last trouble I have is with commas and colons. I never learned how to properly use colons and semicolons and so I try not to use them that often. I should learn to use them to make writing easier! 

            When I got the WrAP back, I wasn’t surprised in the scores in each category. Although I did better than I thought I would, it really highlighted the struggles that I have with writing which I’ve mentioned throughout this reflection. After this whole process of reading my papers, the WrAP, and all the comments again, I have a good idea of what I can improve for next year in English ll. I plan to take everything I’ve learned this year and put it into use to develop my writing. If I achieve these goals, it will make writing easier and a more pleasurable experience for me.                                                                                   

Common Errors List

Common Errors List:

1.       Some trouble with citations and putting punctuation where it should be

Ex. “Play the most popular games, and your personal information - and in some cases, your list of friends - is sent to app-makers and their allies in the advertising and data-gathering trades.” (San Francisco Chronicle).

2.       Over-use of some words that begin sentences

Ex. There, this, these

3.       My voice wasn’t formal enough sometimes (using exclamations)

Ex. Alida was never shy and could talk to anyone she wanted to!

4.       Adding things that aren’t needed (repeating ideas)

Ex. She also has a real passion for drawing. All of her notes and sometimes even her tests are filled with doodles. She doesn’t draw the normal girly stars and heart, but wolves. She’s very artistic and filled with talent.

5.       Missing commas

Ex.  Red chief is actually controlling them, which is ironic in this case.

6.       Missing colons

ex. The reply they receive is not what they expect: “If you pay me two-hundred and fifty dollars, I’ll take back the boy.”

Outside Reading

Outside Reading~
Tuesday: 25 min
Wednesday: 45 min
Thursday: 30 min
Saturday: 20 min

"Everything" by Michael Buble

You're a falling star, You're the get away car.
You're the line in the sand when I go too far.
You're the swimming pool, on an August day.
And you're the perfect thing to say.

And you play it coy, but it's kinda cute.
Ah, When you smile at me you know exactly what you do.
Baby don't pretend, that you don't know it's true.
Cause you can see it when I look at you.

[Chorus:]
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

You're a carousel, you're a wishing well, 
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.
You're a mystery, you're from outer space, 
You're every minute of my everyday.
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/Michael/everything.html ]
And I can't believe, uh that I'm your man, 
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.
Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through, 
And you know that's what our love can do.

[Chorus]


So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La
So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/michaelbuble/everything.

   I chose the song "Everything" by Michael Buble to analyse for homework. I chose this song for many reasons! First, I've liked this song for a long time and I think it's a really sweet. It also has a nice melody. Secondly, because I've found that it has a lot of poetic devices. In the song, he is talking about the girl he loves and how wonderful she is to him. He uses metaphors to compare her to things he enjoys such as a swimming pool on an August day , a carousel, and a wishing well. He also uses the metaphors "You're the get away car" and "You're the line in the sand when I go too far" to show how she protects him. She is also compared to a "falling star" describing how beautiful she is. He also says how mysterious she is and how he doesn't always understand her when he says "You're from outer space" comparing her to an alien. There is a lot of imagery when he uses those words too.  The listener can picture all the objects he's comparing her to. He also talks about they can get through anything together because their love is so strong when he says, "Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through, cause you know that what our love can do".

   The rhyme scheme is different for the verses and the chorus. The verses are an AABB rhyme scheme while the chorus is an ABB rhyme scheme. Almost all of the lines are caesuras.  He repeats the word "you" and "you're" a lot during the songs and it stresses about the girl. Also, the repetition of the "lalala" makes it sound like he's crazy in love which is the mood of the song.  He just compares the girl to things he loves over and over again which makes it clear how much he adores her. It is a very romantic and sweet song that I love to listen to! The song clearly get the message through that she is his everything.

Outside Reading

   For English homework, we had to read and annotate 4 poems. I really enjoyed the poem "Homeage to My Hips" by Lucille Clifton. I found it really amusing! At first, I thought the author was just writing about how great her hips were in a comical way. She uses a lot of descriptive words to describe the hips as big, free, mighty, and magic.  As I looked into it more, I thought about the message she was trying to send. I think Clifton is trying to say that people should be comfortable in their own skin (or hips in this context!)
   This Spring Break, my family went on vacation to Florida. It was me and my brother's job to figure out what we wanted to do. So on the LONG car trip there, we looked up interesting things to do in Florida. I looked in some traveling books and read all about the attractions and restaurants mainly in or near Orlando. There were chapters on all the different theme parks like Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World etc. We highlighted the stuff we wanted to do to have a plan for the week. We had a fantastic time and I hope everyone had a great Spring Break!

Outside Reading
FL Books/Brochures- about 2 hours
Poems/Song Analysis- 30 min

English Class

   In English class this past week, we focused on the poem "The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop. When I first read this, I thought This whole poem is just about catching a fish? And I was right, but I didn't understand the reason she actually wrote the poem. First she observes and describes the old fish in great detail. She sees how the fish has fought so had in its life and she doesn't want to be the one that ends it for him. So she let's the fish go in the end!
   Bishop uses a lot of similes. For example, " His brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper". She does this to compare objects to others so that the readers can relate to what she is saying. She also uses a lot of repetition and descriptive words to paint a picture in the reader's mind. In some parts, she leaves room for imagination to visualize what's happening. I think this was a good poem to start with for our poetry section.

Outside reading:
Friday- 45 min.
Saturday- 50 min.
Sunday- 55 min.

"Nikki-Rosa" by Nikki Giovanni

   I chose to read the poem "Nikki-Rosa" by Nikki Giovanni because she was really cool and funny when she came to visit Episcopal. Since this section was named "Poems of Childhood" I predicted that the poem was about her experiences when she was little and that maybe people called her Nikki Rosa. She talks about her childhood and how it was being black. She also says that through all of the bad things, she was still happy.
   Nikki Giovanni used a lot of literary elements in her poem, I noticed enjambments in every single sentence. She also used "and" a lot and almost the whole poem was in lower case letters except 5 words: Black, Woodlawn, Chicago,  Hollydale, and Christmases. I'm not sure what was the reason for this! Her tone in the poem also changes as she goes on. I liked her writing and maybe I'll read more of her work in the future!

English Class

   In English class, we worked on our research and nervous conditions projects. I feel really relieved because I got my research project over with on Thursday. For my research project, I wrote an article specifically for teens about the Dangers of Facebook and how to be safe on social networks. I think it went pretty well, until some random music started playing while I was talking and I could stop laughing... Anyway, It's over with and now we have to focus on our Nervous Conditions project which we will be filming soon.
  I'm still reading Seriously...I'm Kidding and I'm still loving it! Ellen really knows who to talk to the readers in a way that makes you feel like you're right there with her chatting about life! What makes it cooler is that I just found out that my friend Mo Isom is going to be on the Ellen Degeneres Show on April 3rd!!! Y'all should definitely watch! Back to the book, I'm almost finished with it, but at the same time I don't want it to be over! I will hopefully read the other 2 books that Ellen has written!

3/23/12- 50 min of Seriously I'm Kidding
3/24/12- 1 hour of Seriously I'm Kidding
and 40 min of "The Fish" (reading and annotating)

This Week!

   This week felt way longer than usual. I found myself fighting to stay awake in class! That's why I was relieved when Friday came because I got the rest I needed!! But on the bright side, I saw The Sound of Music on Thursday which was amazing!! The acting, the singing, and the band was incredible. It was really cool watching my friends on the stage and seeing how talented they are! On Friday, I relaxed a lot which I was really happy about.
   Today, I went to Lafayette to look for an apartment with my mom and they were all gorgeous! Which leaves tonight to do homework...Tomorrow is the sports awards at school! So I get to go to the VPAC and see all my soccer friends (and friends from other sports too). After that, the team is going to DeAngelos and having a team dinner which I'm really excited about too! I've really missed soccer so I'm glad we get to do this!

Outside Reading: Seriously...I'm Kidding

   This week in English, we talked about our research paper project and the Nervous Conditions project. Personally, I'm excited for the NC Project because I'm in the best group of all time. Elise, Sides, Anna, Janelle, and I are all together and we already have an idea for our project! We also had 10 minutes in the beginning on English to read our outside reading books so I whipped out the Ellen book. It was hard to read silently because I was about to bust out laughing, but then people would've thought I was crazy so I had to strain myself. ;)
  Seriously...I'm Kidding is getting even funnier if that was even possible! She was talking about beauty and how far women will go to achieve it. She talks about how it's not worth all the trouble and people should be comfortable in there own skin. She says, " We are who we are. Embrace who you are. Literally. Hug yourself. Accept who you are. Unless you're a serial killer". So she really does give advice in a amusing way that makes the reader keep reading throughout the entire book. I'm really enjoying her book and I don't want it to end! I'm planning on reading the other two books she has written too!  

Lafayette this weekend!

   This weekend was very different then any other weekend. My mom and I drove to Lafayette to check out the city! Since my mom is a pediatric gastroenterologist, which in simple terms is a stomach doctor for kids, a hospital in Lafayette wants her to work there and so they are paying for EVERYTHING. It's pretty great... Our hotel, our food, etc. was all paid for! After we arrived at the hotel and dropped all our stuff in the room, a woman named Mary who works in the hospital showed us around town. We first went to St. Thomas Moore to check out the school to see if I wanted to go there next year.  The first turnoff was the mascot. They were the Cougars... I'm not sure I want to be a cougar. ;) In all seriousness, it just wasn't the right school for me! I walked in and it was like one of those gloomy. boring high schools you see in movies and it had an odd smell. So we left and went to ESA. I was really surprised when we arrived! The classrooms are like little houses!! I've never seen anything like it. We later talked to the French teacher who was nice, but I couldn't understand a word she said... But anyway, it was a very unique, outdoorsy school which I have heard a lot of good things about! I'm probably going to shadow there soon.
  We later made our way back to the hotel and wanted to go check out the mall! Mary had to leave so we were on our own. Using my phone, we finally got there safely! We went in a lot of stores and I bought a bunch of clothes and then we ate! After about 4 hours, we got back to the car and were ready to go back to the hotel, but of course my phone died because I was texting the whole time which probably wasn't such a good idea. Eventually, we got back to the hotel where I am now typing this! Tomorrow, we will probably see more of the city then return back to Baton Rouge! All in all, it has been a very fun day hanging with my mom and seeing Lafayette!

Seriously...I'm Kidding

   We have finally finished Nervous Conditions and taken the test! In the end it wasn't a bad book, but it was slow in the beginning and got better towards the end. Now, I have to find a new book to read! Since soccer season is over, I don't have much to do after school except for homework so lately I've been watching the Ellen Degeneres Show. It is so hilarious and you never know what's going to happen next and which celebrity might drop in! Ellen is very funny and everything that comes out of her mouth makes people laugh. One day, she promoted her new book called, Seriously... I'm Kidding and so I thought "Ellen is pretty hilarious so her book should be too!"
   I began reading it today and I couldn't stop! She doesn't just tell us her life story or anything. She actually tells us highlights in her life with life lessons thrown in there. Even when she talks about serious things, she finds a way to make it funny. I was actually laughing out loud while reading it and now my brother probably thinks I've gone crazy. IT'S THAT FUNNY! She breaks that wall between her and the reader and talks to us as if we were there with her. It's very entertaining and attention-grabbing! It might be one of the funniest books I've ever read. I would recommend it to everyone!

Sunday- 2 hours 45 min- 81 pgs.

Just a Girl Trying out for the Football Team...

    A lot of you have probably heard about the girl trying out to be the kicker for the LSU football team. It's a very controversial subject for some people. Some people think that a woman could NEVER make the football team because football is just for guys and women would just get hurt. Others think that it's just a publicity stunt for her to get attention and it's all for show. The remaining people (including me) think that she's just a girl that actually has the courage to tryout for the football team.

   That girl is actually my friend! Mo Isom used to be the goalkeeper for the LSU women's soccer team. In fact, she was the best goalkeeper in the history of LSU. This means she knows what it means to practice hard and be a true athlete. When she was a freshmen, she even scored a 90-yard penalty kick that bounced over the opposing keeper!! So everyone knows she has a really strong kicking leg! She is also LSU's homecoming queen this year. She's the first athlete to be crowned queen at LSU.  Now, she wants to use her last year of athletic eligibility to play for the Tigers football team. She's said that there are many reasons she's trying out for the team. For one, she wants to be a tiger as long as possible! She really wants to take that challenge to end her senior year with a bang! She once told me that another reason was because of her dad. Her father played football in college and Mo grew up watching football all the time! In 2009, he committed suicide,So this was another way to still be connected to him and keep that bond even if he is not with her anymore. Many people don't know that reason and think she just wants attention, but they don't know the real Mo and what she stands for. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3E-dgyo_jw

If you want to see her 90-yard click, click the link ^

  

YOLO!

   Everyone has their own bucket list. They have goals or things they want to do in their lives before they die. Usually, the things people want to do are sometimes out of their reach or just so crazy that they think it is impossible. On Pinterest, I have a board that I called "Bucket List" and yesterday I was looking at it and just thinking, I am ever REALLY going to ever do any of this? I have things pinned on that board such as: Go on a road trip from New York to California, learn how to surf, and even throw a dart at a map and go wherever it lands. There are crazier things, but those are just 3!

  Last night, I was trying to go to sleep, but I couldn't stop thinking about my Bucket List. I know I'm only a teenager right now and I can't go on my own and do any of those things, but I know I don't want to be stuck in Louisiana for the rest of my life. I want to see the world! Since the death of my uncle last year, it has hit my that life is too short so we should live it up!! Everyone should do some if not all the things they want to do in life because you only live once.

Nervous Conditions

   Through the course of this book, many of the characters have shown their "nervous conditions".  We find out Tambu is very nervous and worried without Nyasha, but Nyasha also has some nervous conditions. She is under a lot of stress from her dad, Babamuruku, not to mention she is bulimic. Babamuruku is always anxious because he has to be the big leader of the family. His wife Maiguru just wants to escape because she is trapped with him. All the characters has some sort of nervous condition that effects the way the change in the book.
   I believe Tambu and Nyasha are the most dynamic characters. In the beginning, Tambu really doesn't like Nyasha. She thinks she's rude to her parents and doesn't agree with anything she does, but as as time passes, she becomes really close to  Nyasha. We later see how much Tambu NEEDS Nyasha because she needs someone to talk to and understand her. Her views also change a lot too. She really sees Babamuruku and Nyasha differently after their fight. In Nyasha's case, she's always been rebellious and rude with her parents. Now, she just studies all the time, doesn't eat, then stuffs her herself to make her parents happy which ends in throwing it back up. Her bulimia is really taking control of her and changes her physically and emotionally. This week, we really found out why Tsitsi Dangarembga titled the book Nervous Conditions.

Outside Reading:
NC Ch. 8 and 9- 2 and 1/2 hours

NC and Biology

   This Mardi Gras, I haven't had a lot of free time since I've soccer everyday, but I've been trying to catch up on my Biology. Mrs. Pulliam wants us to make notecards on noodletools about a site called Environmental Literacy Council. We have to read each of the 7 topics, write a summary, research an article about it, and summarize that. So I've spent about 2 hours total reading a lot of articles on the environment this week.
   I also read Ch. 6 and 7 of Nervous Conditions. It actually got a little more interesting. Tambu sees a different side of Babamuruku that she doesn't really like. She use to look up to him, but now her view of him is different. This books really describes the relationships between the family members. The reading took about 2 and a half hours.

EHS Soccer 2012

    Yesterday, Saturday February 25th, was the Girls Varsity Soccer State Championship. The Episcopal girls played Sacred Heart at Tadd Gormley  Stadium and the atmosphere was tense. As both teams started to warm up,  the fans started to fill in a section of the stands in a sheet of blue, gold, red, and black. Our fans brought their noisemakers, of course! The starting whistle blew and what followed wasn't as we had wanted. 

    As the 2nd quarter ended, the final score was 2-0 and Sacred Heart had won. That moment when the whistle blew was in slow motion. We all looked at each other and thought, "Did that just happen? Is it really over?"  For some, it was the last time that they would ever be wearing their  uniform, but for others it was only the beginning. When we went back into the locker room, Coach Matt told us that we should be proud of even getting here because others will never get this far. I totally agree with what he said because even though the game didn't end the way we wanted it to, we still had an awesome season and made Episcopal soccer history. I'm so glad to have been a part of such a great team of girls. PINKIES UP and Go Knights!

NC and Global Issues Paper

    This week, we have continued reading Nervous Conditions which has gotten a little more interesting. We learn a lot about the relationships between the family. For example, Tambu's father and her uncle Mukoma don't seem to have the best relationship. In Ch. 2, Tambu told a lot about her past and her struggle to raise money to go to school by selling maize. Also,  A lot happened in Ch. 3. Babamuruku returned from England and we also see Nhamo die. We also see how unimportant the women are in this situation. They mainly just do housework which is very different compared to the present day. I can't wait to see what happens next in the story.
    We finally have our rough draft of our Global Issues paper done! We recently turned them into turnitin.com and now we are editing. For homework, we had to proof read our and 3 other papers with comments. For me, it was difficult to proofread my own! Soon, we will hopefully have our completed papers!

Nervous Conditions- 2 hours and 10 min. (combined chapters)

This Weekend!

I'm not very sure what to write about for this blog post so I decided to talk about what I did this weekend! On Friday, I went to watch the basketball games at EHS with some friends. I got to watch the end of the girls game which was FANTASTIC. In the end of the fourth quarter, they were losing by 1 point with about 10 seconds to go... Mary Melissa, who is a Junior, had a breakaway and one girl was chasing right behind her. They U-High girl got in front of Mary and she jumped back and shot in mid-air. She shot with about 3 seconds to go and everyone watched as the ball flew though the air. The basketball swished in the back of the net right as the buzzer sounded and the crowd erupted in cheers!!! They had beaten U-High 43-42. The crowd started cheering "MARY MARY MARY" and she was beaming with joy. I bet that was a great moment for her and she was the hero of the game! Then the boys game started and all the fans had to be silent until they score the tenth point... When it finally happened, all the fans were so loud that I could barely hear my friend beside me. The U-High fans stared at us with confusion which was pretty amusing to me. In the end, the boys also won 45-41! Both teams were amazing on Friday.

On Saturday, I went to my old school, St. Luke's, to play a basketball reunion game against my old team who are now 8th graders. They beat us 19-30 because we didn't have any subs and they had 4. Even though we lost, it was a lot of fun seeing my coach and friends again! Then on Sunday, I went to soccer practice at 11 and we played World Cup!! I was partners with Caroline Sides and Liz Prutz and we did pretty well. It wasn't a hard practice, but we have to rest up for tomorrow's playoff game against Loyola at EHS. (Yall should definitely come and watch that game at 5pm)  All in all, it was a really fun weekend, but now I have homework to do...

Some of our old basketball team and our Coach Amanda!

Global Issues Paper/ Nervous Conditions

     This week in English we started a new book called Nervous Conditions. I didn't fully understand the beginning, but I got that she didn't care that her brother died because he was rude to her family. He didn't give them the respect that they deserved. I think as we keep reading, the book will soon get better! We only read to Chapter 1 so we will find out what happens soon!
     The rest of this week was spent learning how to write an introduction and conclusion to our Global Analysis Papers. I've really gotten into my topic of Facebook Privacy Issues and am actually enjoying it because I understand what I'm writing about! I also enjoy it because it gives me an excuse to actually go on Facebook to research more! I've been working a LOT today on finishing it up, but I might need some help with the citation. By tomorrow, I will hopefully have a nice, finished first draft.

Nervous Conditions- 25 min
Global Issues Rough Draft- 3+ hours

Mardi Gras!

This semester has been a VERY stressful one. I still don't feel like I'm totally back from Christmas break sometimes! We've had our Literary Analysis papers due and now comes our Global Issues papers, not to mention all the other classwork! I feel like I barely see my friends anymore because I have so much schoolwork to do. Soccer also takes up a lot of my time, but it really relieves stress that schoolwork creates! In a couple weeks comes a much needed, Mardi Gras break.
This Mardi Gras, I'm probably going to have to play soccer a lot if we go all the way to State (hopefully!).  I also want to go to New Orleans and go to some parades with my family! To me, Mardi Gras in N.O. is like a huge party for the entire city and EVERYONE is invited!! And there's nothing like a bunch of drunk people throwing beads at you from a float for some great family bonding time! :) I grew up in New Orleans so I'm totally use to parades now, but there's one thing I haven't gotten use to! When I was little, I use to just act all cute and get all the stuffed animals I wanted! Now, my little cousin is the one who gets them all...It's pretty disappointing. ;) I love going to Nola for Mardi Gras because the soul of the city comes out. You can hear music EVERYWHERE, eat so much great Louisiana food, and have a great time! I CAN'T WAIT!

Global Issues Paper

This week in English, we have focused on our Global Analysis paper in History. The subject I'm writing on is "Facebook Privacy Issues." I think I have done very well in my writing and I'm interested in my topic which makes it easier to write about! Everyday this week, we have been in the writing lab working on our basic and then our detailed outline. I think I got a good bit done in the lab when I wasn't distracted by really loud people (SENIORS.) But I took care of them. If you're in Block 3, then you'll get what I'm talking about! All in all, I got a good amount of writing done on my outline.
During the weekend, I spent about 150 minutes working on perfectly my outline and writing my introduction. I'm still researching more everyday. I'm actually learning new things about my topic that I never knew before that I can include in my paper. I 'm going to work on it a lot more during this week and by Monday I'll have a rough draft!

Champions!

 Saturday morning was the day we had been getting ready for since the U-High Varsity Girls team had beaten us a couple of weeks before.  They had only beaten us by one point with 1 minute to go in the game. Since they are our biggest and toughest rival, it made it even worse. So we practiced harder, watched film of the game, and came together as a whole to play what was going to be our biggest game of the season against U-High. We had to get there at 10:30 am just to be ready and warm up, but we just listened to music, talked, and painted the nails of our pinkies blue (Even our coach!) It was soon time to go to the field and we started to pass the ball and joke around as our pump-up music started playing. As the U-High players started arriving and so did the fans, we knew it was time to get serious and ready to play.
  At 1pm, the ref blew the whistle to start the game. The sound of vuvuzelas and artificial noise makers filled the air. Of course, the normal soccer game atmosphere.  I can honestly say that I've never seen such an intense game in my life. There was a lot of sweat, blood, and some dramatic acting from the U-High players.  After 80 minutes of intense playing and pain, we were still tied and we went in double over-time. No one scored then either so it went to penalty kicks. Each team gets five kicks  alone with the opposing team's goalie. The pressure was at its highest. After our goal keeper, Moira, saved two fantastic kicks, it was up to Mary to make the very last goal that decided whether we win or lose. She stepped up to the line, ran, and kicked the ball. The moment seemed to be in slow motion. As the ball swished inside the back of the goal, the stadium erupted in cheers. WE HAD WON! Everyone on the bench and the field sprinted to Mary and Moira as we all celebrated and were filled with emotion. Even though I didn't play, it was a moment that I will definitely never forget.  GEAUX KNIGHTS!!!

Dog-Sitting

I've ALWAYS wanted a dog ever since I was little, but my dad's allergies always prevented that from ever being an option for us. My brother and I have tried multiple times to convince my parents to get us a short haired dog! We thought had had found a loop hole, but then my mom said the same thing she always does when we bring up the subject,"Having a dog is a lot of responsibility! And what will that poor dog do while you're at school?" I always tell her that the dog just stays at home and eats, sleeps, and goes to the bathroom until we get home! But she never buys it.
What my brother and I decided to do was prove them wrong. Our friend, Mo Isom, needed someone to take care of her two dogs, Jacey and Penny, for this weekend. We immediately jumped at the opportunity! It was much harder than we thought. I had to wake up to bring them outside early in the morning when they started to whine because they had to go to the bathroom. Picking up what they had left wasn't so great either. There were ups to the experience though! They were SO adorable and playful with everyone. They really liked running up and down the stairs which was pretty funny to watch. Most importantly, we learned that is a lot of responsibility, but maybe one day we will be able to achieve that level of responsibility and get a dog of our own!

 

English this week...

Well we've FINALLY finished our literary analysis papers! It feels like a weight lifted off my shoulders, but now we've got to go onto yet another essay.  Our Global Issues Project for History is our new assignment. Since I'm in Coach Coco's class, I don't know too much about the project because he barely spoke about it, but Friday in class, we continued working on our bibliographies. I'm doing my paper on Problems with Privacy on Facebook." It is a big issue these days since almost everyone has a Facebook! I really think the topic is relatable and people really need to learn about the dangers online. That's why I chose it!
I'm still reading A Walk to Remember and I'm really enjoying it a lot! Landon Carter is a real troublemaker and the police soon catch him in the act. He has to do community service, act in the school play, keep his grades up, and tutor. A girl named Jamie Sullivan soon comes in the picture. She is a very bright, kind girl who is in all of those things too, but she is there to volunteer. Landon is not having a very good time and Jamie tries to get close to him to help him out. Landon doesn't like how close she is getting, but he still needs her to help him with his grades. She agrees to help him on one condition. He has to promise not to fall in love with her.

A WALK TO REMEMBER:
Jan, 19th- 40 min
Jan. 20th- 50 min
Jan, 22nd-1 hour
72 pages

Bad Week for Football...

This week in football might not have gone as well as some of us had planned. Before the BCS Championship on January 9th, New Orleans was filled with some pumped LSU fans. They were either partying in the French Quarter or tail-gating outside the Superdome! Every LSU fan had high expectations for their Tigers, but as the game started, it slowly came crashing down on us. After all the bragging and boasting about beating Alabama, they were DESTROYING us. Many thought if was because of the quartback we had in, Jordan Jefferson. Apparently, the whole dome was screaming for Jarret Lee to go in, but the people watching the game on the television couldn't hear any of that because they had covered the sound. At the end of the 4th quarter, most of the LSU fans had already left and the game had ended at 21-0. Tiger Nation was dissapointed and many were complaining online. Many of my facebook friends were complaining about how horrible we did and how Les Miles was so stupid for not playing Jarret Lee. Some people that had been saying "Geaux Tigers!" now were actually saying "Roll Tide". I was so surprised how some fans reacted.
How could you switch teams in a matter of hours because of one game? Sure they might've messed up one game, but it's just one out of many!  I just think about the fantastic season the Tigers have had and can't wait for next season! I still bleed purple and gold and am proud to be an Tiger fan (as well as any other true LSU fan)!!!

Going back to School...

After two weeks filled  with great experiences, I was very upset when January 3rd had finally come. I was excited to see my friends, but not go back to school work AT ALL. It was difficult just to wake up early again! We immediately got back to work on all of our papers that we had started before the holidays. I had to keep myself awake throughout the day which wasn't enjoyable. Thankfully, the first day we didn't get a load of homework because the teachers knew we had to get used to going back first. I knew that wouldn't last long...
During exams, we had to postpone our Literary Analysis papers. But before then, I was so worried about it. I had no idea how to write a thesis about a short story and have evidence to back it up too! How could we write a 3-5 page paper on such a short story? I managed to write a thesis, but still was had my doubts about it. We worked on it more during class and I started to get it when Dr. D explained it more in depth. During the holidays, I actually tried not to think about it! We jumped right back into it the first week we got back. Now, with a little more work, we have our rough drafts and edited with our group members. Soon, we will have finished our final draft and will be finally DONE!
This week, I started reading a book by Nicholas Sparks called, "A Walk to Remember". I read 150 minutes and I'm enjoying it! I can't wait to see what happens.

New Year's Resolutions

I've heard many people say that resolutions are pointless and that no one ever actually goes through with them. I disagree with those people. It's good to have resolutions so you have a goal to work and strive for through the year. It's true that many people forget about their resolutions, but the people that don't and work hard are rewarded!
For the last few days of 2011, I was in New Orleans with my family. I don't get the chance to see them very often because a lot of them live in Colombia which is in South America. I got to go to my cousin's wedding the day before New Year's Eve. It was a wonderful experience that I won't soon forget. I really got to see the meaning of family. All of us reunited for the joining of two people who were deeply in love just really showed me how much I missed my family. There was a lot of laughing and crying, but I just felt love all around me. That feeling continued for the next days that we all spent together. I quickly stopped when they had to get back on that plane and return to Colombia. I didn't understand how all that joy turned into sadness in a couple of days. But now I know that I can remember the great time we had together and smile. I don't think I've ever smile so much in my life! When the clock struck 12 on New Years I knew what my resolutions would be. I really want to spend more time with my family and appreciate them more. Who knows? Maybe I'll go to Colombia to visit! I also want to smile and laugh more because it makes life better and just overall fun! I'm really looking forward to a great 2012!